Sesame Tofu with Green Beans and Baby Sweetcorn
Sesame Tofu with Green Beans and Baby Sweetcorn is a delicious stir fry that you can have from wok to table in less than 30 minutes. Find out how to make it below.
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Simple stir fries
Some of the best dishes are those that have minimal ingredients and take no time at all to cook. Stir fries definitely fall in that camp. They are great as a mid week meal or served as part of a big Chinese banquet on special occasions.
There are two things that make my Sesame Tofu with Green Beans and Baby Sweetcorn one of my favourite dishes: the tofu is extra crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; and the stir fry sauce is packed full of flavour despite only using a handful of ingredients.
Here’s how to make it.
How to get crispy tofu
The crispy tofu is one of the key parts of this Sesame Tofu, Green Beans and Baby Sweetcorn stir fry.
A lot of people struggle to cook tofu and one of the biggest complaints is not knowing how to get tofu crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
First of all you need to have the right tofu. Try to get firm or extra firm. This is the variety sold in most UK supermarkets though some will also sell silken tofu which will be clearly labelled.
Firm and extra firm tofu is usually sold in water which needs draining, give the tofu a squeeze between a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to get rid of excess moisture. Some people will tell you that you need to press the tofu for at least 20 minutes to get all of the moisture out of it but in my opinion this doesn’t produce any better results. So let’s keep this dish quick and easy.
Once you’ve squeezed the excess moisture out rip it into bite size pieces. Next, toss them liberally in a bowl of cornflour. Make sure they’re well coated all over.
Heat sesame oil in your wok then add just a couple of tofu pieces at a time, turning over in the sesame oil until they are crisp and golden all over.
Drain the cooked tofu on a piece of kitchen roll while you cook the rest. It’s important to cook in batches rather than all at once as this gives them more room to fry and get extra crispy.
Stir fry vegetables
There are a wide range of vegetables that work well in a stir fry but this recipes uses green beans and baby sweetcorn.
Green beans might seem like an odd choice but snake beans are actually a popular ingredient in Asia.
Snake beans are super long. You might know them by a different name such as yardlong bean, Chinese long bean or bora. They are sold in most Asian supermarkets if you’d like to make this recipe a little more authentic.
Baby sweetcorn is also a common ingredient in Asia. Because of their mild, sweet flavour and snap when they are broken in two, they are often used in stir fries, curries and noodle dishes. They are the perfect veggie to accompany green beans in this dish.
How to make sesame stir fry sauce
Sesame stir fry sauce is one of the quickest and easiest to make. You mix equal parts of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil with minced garlic and minced ginger. Give this a good mix then add in cornflour that has been mixed with water. This means the sauce will thicken a little as it cooks and coat all of the ingredients well.
The wok clock
When it’s time to cook the stir fry you want to star with the ingredients that will take longest to cook and then work your way round until you are left with the ingredients that need the shortest time to cook.
To be organised, place them on a plate with the hardest ingredient at the top then work around the plate clockwise laying out your other ingredients.
For this recipe you’d start with baby sweetcorn, then green beans, spring onions then finally the already cooked tofu before finally adding your sauce.
If you follow the wok clock you’ll have a perfectly cooked stir fry every time!
Thanks to School of Wok for teaching me this trick!
Serve with
This stir fry goes great with some fluffy rice. If you are vegetarian then why not try my egg fried rice. For my fellow vegan’s then vegetable fried rice is perfect for you.
If you really want a treat then spring rolls make a great addition to this meal.
The recipe
Sesame Tofu with Green Beans and Baby Sweetcorn
Ingredients
For the crispy tofu
- 400 g firm tofu
- 6 tbsp cornflour
For the sauce
- 4 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tsp garlic minced
- 4 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with water until smooth
For the stir fried vegetables
- 175 g baby sweetcorn
- 200 g green beans trimmed
- 8 spring onions trimmed and cut in half, first horizontally then lengthways
For the garnish
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
To make the crispy tofu
- Squeeze the tofu between a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to get rid of excess moisture then tear it into bite size pieces.
- Toss them liberally in a bowl of cornflour until they are well coated all over.
- Heat sesame oil in your wok then add just a couple of tofu pieces at a time. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning them over in the sesame oil until they are crisp and golden all over.
- Drain the cooked tofu on a piece of kitchen roll while you cook the rest. It's important to cook in batches rather than all at once as this gives them more room to fry and get extra crispy.
To make the sauce
- Mix together the sauce ingredients.
To make the stir fry
- Place the wok back over a high heat and add the baby sweetcorn, cook for 1 minute, tossing occasionally.
- Add the green beans next and cook for another minute.
- Next add the spring onions and toss.
- Finally add the tofu and the sauce to the pan.
- Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the tofu is warmed through again.
- Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Nutrition
More simple stir fry dishes
Chinese Recipe Archive
For more recipes inspired by traditional Chinese cuisine, check out my Chinese recipe archive.
Very delicious.
Your recipe index is looking great Emma x
It's all thanks to you 🙂